The Winter months and lower temperatures are not far away, so Peugeot UK is following in the tyre tracks of its continental counterparts by launching its own Cold Weather Tyre Programme.
Incredibly, the life expectancy of cold weather tyres at temperatures below 7°c is increased by up to 40 per cent and, obviously, if used prolongs the life of summer tyres.
The new ‘swap and store’ service being provided by dealers enables customers to equip their cars with four cold weather tyres and have their Summer ones placed in safe and secure storage to avoid any damage or inconvenience.
Used extensively throughout mainland Europe, cold weather tyres provide greater traction and enhanced safety in adverse conditions like dry cold weather, rain, slush, ice and snow.
Constructed using a greater amount of natural rubber and silica to prevent low temperature hardening – and so maintaining grip – winter tyres also have a specific tread pattern designed to adhere to dangerous conditions. The combination ensures greater safety as braking distances are reduced by as much as 20 per cent in icy conditions. They also enhance mobility, handling and traction in cold weather.
A report out from What Car?, one of the UK’s leading consumer advice magazines, highlighted the safety benefits cold weather tyres bring.
Its own independent tests reveal that in snow, Summer tyres took more than twice the distance to stop on average compared with cold weather tyres. When braking on sheer ice at 12 mph, the average stopping distance for Winter tyres was 12.5 metres compared to 19 metres for Summer tyres.
Chas Hallett, What Car? Editor-in-chief, said: “Cold weather tyres make for much safer driving, so we would encourage all motorists to change their tyres in the colder months. Used in this way, a set of Winter tyres will last motorists several years.”
Peugeot dealers will offer four services; a set of cold weather tyres complete with alloy wheels and storage, a set of tyres with steel wheels and storage or a set of tyres to replace their existing ones and storage. Finally, dealers are able to supply and fit the Winter tyres only, allowing customers to store their Summer tyres themselves.
While there will be dealers who will store the tyres on site, a majority will be placed in the Tyre Hotel, a bespoke facility employed to store tyres in the correct conditions to prevent any damage or distortion.
To avoid any confusion or misinformation, dealers will use dedicated computer hard drives where they will store all customer Winter tyre information including images taken to chronicle the exact condition of each tyre taken into care. The service will also involve a free Winter vehicle check.
David Higgins, Parts and Service Director for Peugeot, said: “With Winter almost upon us, switching to cold weather tyres makes total sense if you want to increase your safety while on the roads. Our scheme has been designed to offer customers a complete, trouble free service.”
